The rescue of nine orphaned Muscovy ducks in Fort Lauderdale may strike some as the most misguided form of benevolence. The plump, warty South American birds are despised in many South Florida neighborhoods, where they waddle around, leaving behind generous quantities of duck droppings and duck eggs. But when a mother duck was killed by a dog or raccoon or fox in the Harbordale neighborhood, neighbors Ben Johnson and Kathy Raines teamed up to gather her 13 eggs, put them under a heat lamp and try to help the chicks survive.

We live in an uncertain world so how can we live securely in retirement? Consider the "bucket" approach, recommends Plantation certified financial planner Ben Tobias. You put some of your retirement savings in a "bucket" for emergencies such as when the stock or bond market tanks, Tobias said. Then you dip into that secure account -- usually cash stashed in a federally-ensured money market account -- for your living expenses while the markets rebounds, Tobias said. He suggests saving at least two years of living expenses in the "bucket.

Maxine Szmulewitz's egg and vegetable strata Szmulewitz doubles this recipe when she's serving a crowd and cooks the strata a few minutes longer in a larger pan or in two pans. It's a good choice for a large crowd since it can be assembled the night or morning before and brought to room temperature before baking. The recipe works with any vegetable or cheese and with egg beaters and low-fat cream cheese. The bread can be stale or fresh. 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if necessary 1 garlic clove, minced 3/4 cup scallions, chopped 1 1/2 cups sliced mushroom 1 red pepper, diced 1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini or chopped broccoli 6 eggs 1/2 cup half-and-half 1 pound (two 8-ounce packages)

Q: How do I know if my nonstick pans are safe? I have a nonstick skillet and a grillpan that I use for eggs and fish. Can these pans withstand the normal heat of a cooktop without toxins leaching out? A: Despite concerns and conflicting reports about the danger of toxic emissions from nonstick pans, most sources consider them safe if you take some precautions. Don't overheat the pans, which can cause the nonstick coatings to break down. Most manufacturers direct you to keep the pans below 500 degrees, or use them only up to the medium setting on the stove.

Get a free egg sandwich when you buy one at Einstein Bros. Bagels with a Facebook coupon. Visit the restaurant chain's fan page and get the offer for a free egg sandwich, egg wrap or egg panini when you buy one. Click here for the deal. The offer, one per person, expires on Sept. 24. Three ways to keep up with the latest deals: "Like" our Sentinel Deals page on Facebook ; follow Doreen Christensen on Twitter@PrettyGoodIdeas and sign up for Deals text alerts .

You've heard about sperm banks. Now, at long last, make room for their genetic equivalents: egg donor banks. After years of failed attempts to effectively freeze donor eggs, a revolutionary technology has finally fine-tuned the process, giving birth to a cottage industry of banks with a growing national catalog of healthy donor eggs. Florida stands to play a major role in the budding business, both in supplying a youthful donor pool and in generating demand from older women looking for viable options to grow their families, experts say. "I think Florida is a fairly competitive area for reproductive medicine," said Dr. Moshe Peress, a reproductive endocrinologist in Boca Raton . "It is certainly inevitable that banks are going to establish themselves in the area, and the use of frozen donor eggs is going to be a lot more ubiquitous than it is now. " Already, of the nation's three major egg banks, two of them - My Egg Bank, North America; and Donor Egg Bank USA - have established direct relationships with large, reputable in-vitro fertilization centers in South Florida in recent months.

It wasn't a tropical storm yet, so 100 baby turtle hatchlings got a proper Boca Raton sendoff in the surf. At 9:30 p.m., a caravan of cars followed a white city van from Gumbo Nature Center on A1A across the street to Red Reef Park. A small group high-tailed it in the dark to the edge of the ocean, and the contents of three pails of tiny turtles were emptied in the sand. Another flotilla of sea turtle hatchlings had made its way out to sea. The center's hatchling release program is sold out for the season, a testament to how many people want to watch this annual pilgrimage.

A peek inside some of South Florida's unique foodshops. Wow factor: This homey little shop on a street beside the Gateway Shopping Center is a playhouse for foodies, be it ones who love to cook or ones who love to eat. A classy chandelier anchors the bright room, and a bookcase on the left holds new and used cookbooks, as well as books about gardening and design. The rest of the displays offer mostly one-of-a-kind entertaining/serving ware and specialty food products, such as olive oils, vinegars, salts, confections, jams, honeys, chocolates, biscuits and pastas - some perched on the mantel of a faux fireplace.